


The Singing Fountain

by StarllingWrites



Series: Monster Tales [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Domestic monsters, Fairy, fae, fairy tale, monster love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 02:50:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19984849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarllingWrites/pseuds/StarllingWrites
Summary: In your town, there was a fountain with floating bowls. It's been there for as long as anyone can remember, but no one knows who built it. But the greater mystery is how musically the bowls clink together. One night, you happen to figure out the answer.« Inspired by Clinamen by Celeste Bousier-Mougenot »





	The Singing Fountain

**Author's Note:**

> -Neutral reader

In your town, there was a fountain near the woods with floating singing bowls. No one knew when the fountain was built or who put the bowls in it; they’ve just always been there. But the thing that puzzled people the most was how the bowls sang.

The fountain was more of a fancy, bricked off pond. Circular. Waist deep. Simple. But definitely not natural. Nothing about it would cause the water to flow, and yet the bowls would float across the surface, pulled by gentle currents. Just as strangely, on windy days when gales churned the waters the bowls would sit rather still.

Over the years, people noticed some patterns to their songs. They’d always sing on solar holidays; and their tunes often evoked the time of year. Even in winter, the water would rarely freeze and soft notes would float up as snowflakes floated down. Most notably, their songs were never discordant. You could hardly put the notes to any classical measure but they were always in harmony.

Despite all the mystery—or perhaps because of it—people loved to come and sit by the fountain and listen to the bowls sing.

After a rough week, you needed to clear your head. You drifted around town, letting the midnight air clear your head, when you found yourself at the singing fountain.

You sat on the ground and leaned on the wall, letting your fingers trace slow circles on the water’s surface. Within a minute the bowls started singing and floating towards you. They parted before they could hit your hand and drifted back around to the side opposite you before repeating their path.

Their magic soon lulled you into a haze. You used one arm as a pillow and closed your eyes as your continued playing with the water with your free hand. Your vision blurs as your eyes start to shut. Through half-lidded eyes you watch the hypnotic dance of the bowls floating in circles. Then something else in the water catches your attention.

You keep your focus as is instead of trying to chase the flash of what you saw. Sparkles danced under the water. Gradually they took form. Translucent butterfly-like creatures swam around the fountain in the same pattern as the bowls. They flew around the water, some jumping up and twirling around the surface. You had never seem them before; as far as you knew, no one had.

Despite the burning and the tears filling your eyes, you fought not to blink. A part of you feared that if you did, or if you focused more on these creatures, they’d disappear.

One of them skittered over. Up close, you could now make out their silvery figure. They were humanoid with small fins along their forearms and legs. The butterfly wings you saw before now took on a more fin-like structure too.

They were a water fae.

With that revelation, all the mysteries surrounding the fountain made sense. Many assumed there was some magical explanation; now you knew what exactly was responsible—at least what they looked like.

The little fae got unnervingly close to your face. You held your breath. Unable to fight it any longer you finally blinked. The fae jerked away. To your surprise, though, it slowly crept closer again. In a swift movement, they flew within an inch of your face then darted back again. You had second to notice they were now holding a small drop of water before it dashed off back among the singing bowls.

The song the bowls rang out began changing. Airiness filled their tune. As the energy picked up, more fae came up from the water and danced with each other. They spun the bowls this way and that, orchestrating the new song as they bounded about.

You enjoyed the private concert for a few minutes more. The arm you were resting on was growing numb and you needed to move. Languidly, you sat up and stretched. The fae vanished from your sight as you stirred. You hated to see them go, but you knew they were still there—they’ve always been there. You bowed you head and said a soft, “Thank you.” Their secret was one you’d happily keep.


End file.
